Why Participate in DX Marathon

As we come to the close of another year, I recall a while back an excellent article that my friend Bill Salyers AJ8B wrote after he invited me to do a podcast. Bill hosts a podcast/YouTube program called The DX Mentor, aimed at hams and SWL’s interested in DX.
Through the DX Mentor, he provides weekly updates on upcoming DX, upcoming contests, propogation, DXpeditions, and practical advice to help fellow hams. He and Joe Pater, W8GEX do a super job keeping us all informed on relevant happenings in the world of DX.

I thought it was such an excellent article that I post it here for you to read. Give it to your Club members if you are so moved.

73, Mark WC3W

PS Upload your logs now for the 2025 Marathon at entry.dxmarathon.com. It is so easy. Generate your adif file from your logging program and let ’er rip

By Bill Salyers, AJ8B

After a ham listened to Episode 28 of the DX Mentor podcast, “The CQ Marathon”, he sent me an excellent email with a couple of questions that caused me to pause and really think about the CQ DX Marathon. I have been participating in the Marathon since 2010 and I get more involved each year. I really did reflect to see what impact the Marathon has had on me as an operator and I thought I would share that in the classic “Point/Counterpoint” format. (Remember that?) This is not my “DX brag tape” but a trip down memory lane for me to explain how the Marathon has inspired me.

So, as Jane Curtain may have asked, “First, even after listening to the episode a few times I never found a clear explanation of what the DX Marathon is. Secondly, how is the Marathon relevant to the new DXer who operates an extremely modest station? I think this would be crucial information for those of us who are not long time DXers to have. Finally, when does it even make sense to submit a log? If my scores aren’t competitive is there any benefit in sending them in?” Well, my Dan Akroyd response might be something like “Bill, you ignorant lid!” Just kidding, they were great questions! To answer the first question, “What is the DX Marathon?”, I would reply with “It’s a reason to get on the air. It makes it interesting. It forces me to better understand my rig, antenna, and operating procedures.” Technically, the Marathon is ayear long contest where the final score is the sum of the entities you have worked and the zones that those entities are located in. The total possible score is 386. (346 entities and 40 Zones)

I will endeavor to answer the remaining questions in the next section.

I first learned of the DX Marathon after picking up a copy of “A Year of DX” by Bob Locher, W9KNI2 . I found that I could not put it down. I felt like I was in the shack with Bob each time he added to his count! I have read it several times since.

After my first year of entering the competition, I really did not appear on the radar. (See Chart 1) I was not very active until the fall of 2010 and worked some entities in the CQWW contests that year. However, it got me to the point where I felt I could make some decent numbers, for me! In January of 2011, I examined the contents of my logs to identify areas that would help me to achieve a better score. I decided that my time was still somewhat at a premium, but if I participated in more contests, I could improve my score. It worked. That was my strategy for 2012 and 2013. However, it appeared that I would not be able to make a major jump with the time I had on hand and the contests that I would be able to participate in. So, a log review was conducted.2014 dawned with 2 OCF dipoles for 80 meters hanging 40 feet up and in opposed directions. I was now adding entities on 80 meters early and late in 2014.

At a DX Club meeting in 2015, I recall one of the members saying “I haven’t been on the air in months. I give it a listen occasionally and I watch the cluster, but there is nothing I need. How many times can you work Germany?” In my mind I was thinking, at least once a year! At this point, I was a bit stagnant. Sunspots were not exactly plentiful. I was working contests when I could, watching the cluster, as well as listening on a regular basis. Joe, W8GEX, and Jay, K4ZLE, are ardent “gray line” supporters. I spent some time researching this. Not just the explanation for it, but HOW to work along the gray line twice a day. I watched spots and did some “data mining” of those spots using DXLab and Spot Collector. I adjusted my work schedule to take advantage of the morning gray line at times and the evening gray line at other times. For three years, I averaged 200 entities/year. Not a world beater score, but certainly getting better for me. In 2019 I had my top score at the time, 201, and I achieved WAZ for the first time in one year. Not big for some, but for me, it was a sign that I was getting better. I still had a 6- band vertical and 2 80M OCF dipoles as my “antenna farm”. As often happens, work travel got in the way and for 2020 and 2021, I held right around 200. January of 2022 forced another log review. I set out with 3 goals; work the major contests as much as I could, continue to focus on the gray line, and analyze what I was missing and find ways to get those entities in the log. For instance, I was not very successful into Asia. Reviewing the WA7BNM website4 shows several Asian contests during the year. I started to plan the best times to get involved in those contests to leverage my station. Again, my DXLab software helped me to find those best time slots to maximize my time. I ended the year with a score of226; 187 entities and 39 Zones. I was beginning to feel like I could compete; not necessarily win but compete! In September of 2023, I finally put up a K4KIO hex beam5 at a robust 25 feet! Wow, what a difference! Many of you are thinking “Duh”, but for someone who had a vertical and a variety of wire antennas for 50 years, this was a difference maker. Of course, with a strong solar cycle, and the hex beam, I had a solid finish to 2023 with my best score ever; 241 (202 entities and 39 Zones)

So far this year (as of Feb 23rd), I am at 163 consisting of 124 entities and 39 Zones. I am very optimistic with 10 months ahead of me and many big contests coming up. Couple that with increasing sunspot numbers and I am excited! So What? What’s the point? There are a couple of important things to consider. First, for my personality, I need to have a challenge. For me to get better at anything, I need a yardstick. If I were operating at the same skill level that I had in 2010, I would have a similar score as in 2010. However, with the changes and enhancements that I made, I have gotten to be a better operator. Just spending more time in front of the rig has forced me to really learn the rig and propagation. Looking back over the past years, it is exactly the fact that I had a modest station that I knew I had to get the most out of it if I wanted to move up the DXCC ladder. I knew I wasn’t going to bust pileups on the first call. I had to learn and develop techniques to snag those DX entities in pileups. (tail ending, timing, split, etc.) So, if you are going to ask, “Why submit a log?”, I am going to ask “Why submit your cards to the DXCC desk until you have hit honor roll?” It is the chase that makes it worthwhile! I passed that question along to the program administrator and here was Mark’s response: The answer to this one is two parts. The first is that we have traunched the Classes to try to create a level playing field…that is to say, if you enter in the Formula Class with the rest of the world, you all will be running 100W with a wire or vertical antenna. No arrays. Second part of the question, you already touched on…I once had an amazing boss that told me if you cannot measure anything you are doing, it simply is not worth doing. The Marathon is a metric upon which you can measure your self-improvement…I would argue most people in the Marathon are not in it to win it. Like a contester. I hope you can see why I participate and how it has helped me to improve. It is a 12-month ride that is also a vehicle for other awards such as DXCC and DX Challenge among others. Every January 1st, you start all over! You could start now and catch everyone else! My only question for Mark, WC3W, the program administrator is “When will the Japanese entity on the moon be counted?”